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Researchers from Medical University of Graz receive EFORT/Medtronic Award
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VIENNA — A team of researchers led by Sriveena Srinivasaiah, MSc, of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria, has been awarded the EFORT/Medtronic Award for Excellence in Bone Repair Research.
“Winning the Medtronic Award has encouraged me, both on scientific and personal levels, to seek meaningful answers that could be of substantial use to the scientific community,” Srinivasaiah told Orthopaedics Today Europe. “It has also uplifted my motivation to design a new study where our model could be used for preclinical investigations of bone fracture and repair in vitro.”
The study, “In Vitro Stimulation of Endochondral Ossification of the Growth Plate Using an Ex Vivo 3 Dimensional Organotypic Culture Model,” was focused on the development of an in vitro functional bone organotypic culture model capable of mimicking the processes involved in endochondral ossification. In addition to achieving its primary endpoint of stimulating endochondral bone development with significant physiological relevance, the study represents an advancement in humane testing methods.
“From an ethical standpoint, we also wanted to promote alternative testing methods that could reduce the number of animals used for in vivo experiments,” Srinivasaiah said.
The EFORT/Medtronic Award for Excellence in Bone Repair Research is awarded based on the quality of the submitted abstract/poster in the field of bone repair, and is part of both EFORT's and Medtronic’s commitment to encouraging and promoting research in this area. The recognition and financial prize is awarded to Srinivasaiah’s department at the Medical University of Graz.
“Contributing to this particular study has enhanced my scientific acumen in terms of creativity, rationality, planning and execution of experiments with greater confidence,” Srinivasaiah said.
“Our current findings can be of potential value in the distinct mechanisms involved in bone development, fracture healing, drug/toxicity testing, therapeutic and biomaterials applications.”
Disclosure: Srinivasaiah reports no relevant financial disclosures.